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Rajar waves goodbye as O'Hara sails away

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Jane O’Hara, the face of radio audience ratings in the UK, is stepping down as managing director of Rajar at the end of the year to go long-distance sailing.

O’Hara, who has been in the post for the past three-and-a-half years, will pursue a “long-held dream” when she sets off next spring for Spain, Portugal and the Caribbean.

“This has been a very difficult decision to make. I thoroughly enjoy my role at Rajar, which is interesting, challenging and exciting. I wish I could do both, but as I can’t live two parallel lives, I have decided to take the opportunity now to try my hand at ocean sailing and the different challenges and excitement full-time sailing presents.

“I know I am going to miss Rajar and the radio industry, but I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to work with the talented people that I have, in an industry that I truly care about.”

Rajar chairman Lord Gordon led messages of goodwill from the industry when he said O’Hara had done “a great job for Rajar, sometimes in very difficult circumstances. She will be sorely missed.”

Even Kelvin MacKenzie, chairman and chief executive The Wireless Group, who is in the middle of taking legal action against the research company, had pleasant things to say about O’Hara.

“We didn’t agree on anything, but personally I liked her and I wish her all the best in the journey of a lifetime,” he said.

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MacKenzie announced in September that he would sue Rajar, after it refused to adopt an electronic ratings system to measure radio audiences, which would show his talkSPORT station in a more successful light